ICC World Twenty20, 1st Semi-Final: England vs New Zealand – Eoin Morgan wins the toss, Three Lions will bowl first​

ICC World Twenty20, 1st Semi-Final: England vs New Zealand LIVE – Eoin Morgan wins the toss, Three Lions will bowl first​

England are ranked fifth in the world, while the Kiwis are second. But New Zealand have never won the tournament, while England won it in 2010.

Top scorers

England: Joe Root (168 runs)
New Zealand: Martin Guptill (125 runs)

Top wicket-takers

England: David Willey (six wickets)
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (nine wickets)

Road to semi-finals

England: 
* Lost to West Indies by six wickets
* Beat South Africa by two wickets
* Beat Afghanistan by 15 runs
* Beat Sri Lanka by 10 runs

New Zealand:
* Beat India by 47 runs
* Beat Australia by eight runs
* Beat Pakistan by 22 runs
* Beat Bangladesh by 75 runs

SQUADS:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt.), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell McLenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne

Coach: Trevor Bayliss

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England: Eoin Morgan (capt.), Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Adil Rasheed, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, James Vince, Reece Topley, Liam Dawson, Sam Billings

Coach: Mike Hesson

World T20 2016: ICC announce match-timings, warm-up match schedule

The afternoon matches will take place from 3 pm to 6 pm (IST), while the evening matches will be played from 7.30 pm to 10.40 pm.

However, the semi-finals and the final will be held from 7 pm to 10.10 pm.

The ICC has also announced the schedule of the warm-up matches.

Teams taking part in the first round will play their warm-up matches in Dharamsala and Mohali from 3-6 March, while sides featuring in the second round will play warm-up matches in Kolkata and Mumbai from 10-15 March.

Warm-up match schedule

3 Mar – Zimbabwe v local side, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala (3 pm); Ireland v Hong Kong*, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala (7.30 pm)

4 Mar – Netherlands v local side, Sector-16, Mohali (3 pm); Scotland v Oman*, IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali (7.30 pm)

5 Mar – Ireland v Zimbabwe, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala (3 pm); Bangladesh v Hong Kong*, HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala (7.30 pm)

6 Mar – Scotland v Netherlands, Sector-16, Mohali (3 pm); Oman v Afghanistan*, IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali (7.30 pm)

10 Mar – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (3 pm); India v West Indies, Eden Gardens, Kolkata (7.30 pm)

12 Mar – New Zealand v England, BKC, Mumbai (3 pm); Pakistan v local side, JU, Kolkata (15h00); India v South Africa, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (7.30 pm)

13 Mar – Australia v West Indies, Eden Gardens, Kolkata (7.30 pm)

14 Mar – England v local side, BKC, Mumbai (3 pm); Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Eden Gardens, Kolkata (3 pm)

15 Mar – South Africa v local side, BKC, Mumbai (3 pm)

*If Afghanistan, Hong Kong or Oman reach the second round of the Asia Cup, then their warm-up matches will be rescheduled accordingly.

South Africa vs England, 2nd T20I: AB de Villiers helps Proteas to easy series win

The tourists were bowled out for 171 in their last over and South Africa reached 172 with 32 balls to spare, wrapping up a comfortable win that stood in contrast to their narrow victory in Friday`s first encounter in Cape Town.

De Villiers broke his own record for the fastest half-century by a South African in a T20 International, trimming the mark from 23 to 21 balls.

Together with Hashim Amla, he enjoyed a first-wicket partnership of 125 to effectively seal victory before he was caught out on the boundary. Amla finished unbeaten on 69.

England were their own worst enemies when Eoin Morgan ran out in-form batsman Alex Hales with the score on 61, but a 96-run partnership between the England captain and Jos Buttler had guided the tourists to 157-3 in the 17th over.

They fell apart, however, when they then lost their last seven wickets for just 14 runs to leave South Africa with a modest target to chase at a ground where high scoring is the norm.

Sunday’s match ended England’s 10-week tour where they won the four-match test series 2-1 but surrendered a 2-0 lead in the ODI series to lose 3-2, before being beaten in both T20 internationals.

Virat Kohli: Post Anushka Sharma break-up, star batsman is busy with...

 

Kohli made a trip to Amritsar with family members, where he spent time visiting the famous Wagah border and the Golden Temple. The 27-year-old on Friday shared photos from the trip and said:

"I really wanted to visit this place from a long time and I'm glad that I've made it. I'm happy to be here and I feel peaceful," he told a section of the media."

he star batsman took a time-off from national duties, ostensibly to spend time with Bollywood damsel Anushka, but their high-profile relationship ended with heartbreaks.

Since the break-up, the cricketer has taken a rather brave posture, posting series of images of himself and family members. And expectedly, his every move continues to make news.

Amritsar visit was one such episode for his followers, but it sure provided the much needed comfort to the player in his times of emotional turmoil.

Kohli will join his team-mates as India seek to win the first-ever Asia Cup T20, which starts on Wednesday in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

3G phone like Freedom 251 would cost Rs 2,300, finds telecom ministry

 

“The ministry has analysed the issue and it feels that such a device can be manufactured for about Rs 2,300,” sources said.

However, they refused to say if any action will be taken against the company in the matter.

Earlier this week, Noida-based firm Ringing Bells launched the world’s cheapest phone -- Freedom 251 -- priced at Rs 251, hogging limelight globally.

Indian Cellular Association, which represents the handset makers industry in India and has members like Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Lava and Micromax, had also written to telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The body said the bill of material value for a product like this when sourced from the cheapest supply chain cost approximately $40 (Rs 2,700).

When translated into retail price after addition of applicable duties, taxes and distribution and retail margins, the cost of the product would be at least Rs 4,100, it added.

ICA requested the minister to get into the depth of the issue, saying the price could not be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale.

Ringing Bells, on its part, said the manufacturing cost of the phone is about Rs 2,500, which will be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace.

Apart from the jaw-dropping price, the company that was set up five months ago by Amity University graduate Mohit Kumar Goel, is also in the midst of controversy with analysts alleging that its maker has merely rebranded a device by its rival, Adcom.

Analysts allege that the design of Ringing Bells’ Freedom 251 handset resembles that of Adcom’s Ikon 4, which is already available in the Indian market at Rs 3,999.

Interestingly, most built-in app icons on the Freedom 251 seem to be a direct copy of icons on Apple’s iPhone, they added.

Despite the controversies, the device has continued to grab attention from consumers. Following a heavy demand, Ringing Bells suspended bookings for 24 hours on Thursday. It resumed bookings on Friday.

 

Brendon McCullum: New Zealand skipper blasts fastest ton in Test history on Day 1 in Christchurch

 

The retiring legend's century against the Aussies came in just 54 balls in the 1st innings of the second Test in Christchurch.

Baz broke the record of West Indian great Viv Richards and Pakistan's Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq.

Richards and Misbah got scored their tons against England and Australia respectively in 56 balls each.

McCullum's century took 79 minutes, the fourth fastest on time behind Jack Gregory who hit 100 in 70 minutes against South Africa in 1921.

It was the 12th hundred of McCullum's career and included 17 fours and four sixes.

The 34-year-old is playing in his final Test before retiring.

 

Asia Cup 2016: Onus lies on Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma to provide solid platform for India

 

Shikhar and Rohit have found the confidence as a pair for India upfront and that has been the reason for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to find success in the shortest format of the game. Shikhar's transition in form has been a positive factor for India in Australia and against Sri Lanka at home recently.

The left-hander had a miserable time with the bat against South Africa in 2015 and struggled prior to that series too. But since then his approach should be lauded and he seems to make the chances count when he sets out to bat.

Rohit missed out against Sri Lanka apart from the 43 runs in Ranchi and the slow Bangladeshi pitches will test his approach and patience.

With the coveted Asia Cup in Bangaldesh, Dhawan will hope to get India ticking alongside Rohit Sharma who had a dream ODI and T20 series against Australia. With Rohit likely to take his time and look to finish games, the onus lies on Dhawan in setting the attack mode from the very beginning.

The understanding and running between the wickets between the duo has been notable. India will want the two batsmen to continue their surge at the top of the order. India who face Bangladesh in the first game will need to be wary of their bowlers who have made a mark at home. The challenge against Mustafizur Rahman and the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Taskin Ahmed will test the opening duo.

Shikhar and Rohit's application has provided a cushion to skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and their performances will be the key again in Asia Cup to give India the platform for the rest of the team.

 

 

Manchester United FC: High time for players to stand up and show fight after Europa League defeat

 

It was a tie United should have wrapped up after taking the lead through Memphis Depay, but like what has been the usual scenario this season, they allowed the hosts to comeback after making unnecessary mistakes.

Veteran Michael Carrick and Juan Mata were guilty of losing possession of the ball and allowing the hosts to take the chances and kill the tie. For a side where possession has been the mantra under Gaal, losing unnecessary balls in dangerous positions ended up being ominous.

United looked as the second best team on the pitch and lacked the intensity and leadership to propel them to get a positive result. This has been a familiar story of late and there is no advancement to change that wave of rot.

Statistics show United have won just nine games out of their last 27 games to suggest the road they are in is an unknown territory.

After the game, Gaal blamed to be victim of Murphy's law after 14 first team players being injured with David de Gea being the latest in that list. But it is a game United were expected to win and their lifelessness in Denmark showed, Gaal has no place to hide and blame misfotunes.

United's progression has been jolted under the Dutchman this season and he is in further pressure now to save his job. Interestingly, his players have been the main contributors to all the negativity and scrutiny the club and its manager has faced most part of the season.

With the return leg next week, United need a goal at least in Old Trafford to progress and not allow their opponents to score. But with several sides coming to the Theatre of Dreams and getting results in their favour, the Danish side know they are in with a major chance of progressing.

The senior players in United should have no excuse for their prosaic play and lack of hunger. Along with the manager who has looked clueless, United also need to look at their players and decide on their futures with majority of them being below-par.

As United travel to League One side Shrewsbury Town on Sunday for the FA Cup fifth Round, they need to get a win desparately and build on it. Next week will determine the season for United as in to where they are headed with the return leg of Europa League, followed by a key clash against EPL title contenders Arsenal.

Gaal who said United will focus on Europa League to gain Champions League qualification for next season, has already seen his players falter and that desire too is slipping away.

 

Injured Mohammed Shami ruled out of Asia Cup, Bhuvneshwar Kumar named replacement

 

The Indian board also released a statement, which read: "The BCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of Asia Cup, 2016. The decision has been taken to give him more time to recover from the Grade II injury to his left hamstring."

Shami, 25, has failed to fully recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the limited-overs series in Australia last month.

But he was nonetheless named in the Indian squad for both the Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20. And this latest development has put his chances of playing in the marquee ICC event in a doubt.

Earlier, senior selection committee chairman Sandeep Patil had expressed his confidence in the bowler's return to fitness. He even claimed that "Shami had started bowling".

The group stage of Asia Cup starts on February 24 with India taking on hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur.

The World T20 will be held in India, starting March 8.

 

Shikhar Dhawan on JNU row: Can't speak ill of country you live in; flag should be unfurled at Universities

 

Speaking at a promotional event, the left-hander voiced his opinion in favor of unfurling the 'tiranga' at all 46 central universities.

"My take is simple. It (flag) should be unfurled at the Universities. It (flag) is the pride of the nation. The more the merrier I would say,” he said.

In wake of the recent issues at JNU, the Delhi lad said nobody should speak ill about the country they live in.

“Though you have touched upon a sensitive topic, one should never say anything ill about the country you live in," said the Asia Cup-bound batsman.

A resolution adopted at a meeting chaired by HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday asked the central universities to fly the tricolor "prominently and proudly" on their campuses to signify a "strong India".

The first such flag will be hoisted at JNU.

Lasith Malinga - Is Sri Lanka skipper a trump card or spent force?

 

While there were plenty of positives in the series for the islanders, one thing they clearly lacked was big-match experience.

However, that box has now been ticked with the return of veteran stars Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara.

The major focus in the Lankan camp ahead of the Asia Cup 2016 will be on skipper and pacer spearhead Malinga.

Returning from a knee injury, the 32-year-old will be heavily relied upon by his side to produce breakthroughs early in the innings and stem the flow of runs towards the end.

While there are no doubts about his wicket-taking ability, the pacer has of late leaked a lot of runs in the 20-over format.

Malinga was impressive against the Windies in the November series, with spells of 2 for 16 and 2 for 19 in the 1st and 2nd T20I respectively.

However against Pakistan in the July-August series, the right-armer came under severe punishment from the batsmen, resulting in figures of 1 for 46 and 1 for 40.

Malinga is no longer the decisive factor in India-SL matches, but he does have a good record in Bangladesh.

In his last 8 T20Is in the host nation of the Asia Cup 2016, Malinga has got 9 wickets without conceding too many runs.

While the focus of most teams will be on the ICC World Cup, the Asia Cup will be a good platform to judge Malinga's impact.

Whether one of world cricket's greatest death overs' operator can still deliver despite injury troubles and lack of playing time will be fascinating to see.

But from a neutral standpoint, it is imperative that Malinga continues to bowl his toe-crushing yorkers and slower bouncers with great success to give an edge to not just his side but the tournament in general.

Asia Cup: Complete squads of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan

 

Here are complete squads of all the teams:

India: MS Dhoni (Captain), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Manzoor, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Rumman Raees, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal

Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga (Captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Arafat Sunny, Abu Hider, Nurul Hasan

A qualifying round will be played between Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong and Oman beginning from February 19. The winner of the qualifying round will join the four Full Member teams in the region for the main draw which starts from February 24.

Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (Captain), Noor Ali Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad (Wicket-Keeper), Usman Ghani, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Shafiqullah, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Samiullah Shenwari, Najibullah Zadran, Yamin Ahmadzai

Hong Kong: Tanwir Afzal (Captain), Aizaz Khan, Anshy Rath, Babar Hayat, Christopher Carter (Wicket-Keeper), Mark Chapman, Haseeb Amjad, Adil Mehmood, Nadeem Ahmed, Nizakat Khan, Kinchit Shah, Ninad Shah, Tanveer Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Waqas Khan

Oman: Sultan Ahmed (Captain and Wicket-Keeper), Aamir Kaleem (Vice-Captain), Aaqib Sulehri, Adnan Ilyas, Amir Ali, Munis Ansari, Bilal Khan, Jatinder Singh, Ajay Lalcheta, Mehran Khan, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Sufyan Mehmood, Vaibhav Wategaonkar, Zeeshan Maqsood, Zeeshan Siddiqui

United Arab Emirates: Amjad Javed (Captain), Mohammad Kaleem, Rohan Mustafa, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammad Shahzad, Swapnil Patil (Vice-Captain and Wicket-Keeper), Usman Mushtaq, Ahmed Raza, Zaheer Maqsood, Mohammad Naveed, Farhan Ahmed, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammad Usman, Fahad Tariq, Saqlain Haider

Michael Clarke: Australia all-rounder John Hastings takes a dig at former skipper

 

The 30-year-old was among the most impressive bowlers during India's recent tour Down Under, picking up 14 wickets in 4 ODIs and 1 T20I.

Hastings appears to be the beneficiary of a relaxed team environment, which has been developed due to the leadership of Smith and coach Darren Lehmann.

Having played the initial part of his career under Michael Clarke, Hastings compared the two skipper Aussie skippers during a radio interview in Melbourne last week.

“Not to take anything away from the boys when I played back whenever it was… It's just different. I don't know whether it's because I was younger, I was a bit more afraid to speak up and speak my mind. Darren Lehmann and Steve Smith have created an environment where everyone is equal, honesty is the key and communication is the key,” Hastings said on RSN radio.

"When you have those key factors in your side, it just breeds a really good culture and environment. For me it's brilliant. I can just go in and be yourself, no question is too dumb. If you think you've seen something on the field you bring it up, people don't shoot you down. It's just a really good environment," he further added.

Smith has had a solid run as captain after taking over from Clarke. While his side has continued their domination in the Test and ODI formats, Smith's real challenge will be winning the ICC World T20 in India next month.